1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to injectors and nozzles for spaying liquids, and more particularly to pressure atomizers.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of devices are known for producing a spray from a pressurized liquid. Many of these are pressure atomizers designed to atomize fuel, water, or other liquids into a fine spray of droplets. Pressure atomizers can be made relatively small and therefore lend themselves to applications where space is limited. An exemplary pressure atomizer or nozzle is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,793 to Tate et al.
In traditional configurations, the spray produced from a pressure atomizer has a shape that changes depending on the applied flow rate and pressure. Typically a pressure atomizer will produce a spray shape that varies from a discrete jet, to a solid cone, to a hollow cone, as the applied pressure and flow rate increase.
In various applications, such as in combustors of gas turbine engines, for example, it is desirable to have a consistent spray shape over the entire range of operating pressures and flow rates. A solid cone spray is ideal for many applications. However, as described above, traditional pressure atomizers typically produce a solid spray cone only at a certain applied pressure, and at other pressures produce a hollow cone or discrete jet.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for atomizers that allow for improved performance over a wide range of applied pressures and flow rates. The present invention provides a solution for these problems.